Doctor Who: Episodes 1 & 2 round-up
Sun, Mar. 19th, 2006 07:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
scarlettinaAs of last night I've received two e-mails and one phone call asking me why I haven't done a round-up on "Rose" and "The End of the World" yet on LJ. Guess it's time. ::grin::
Rose: As has been pointed out elsewhere on LJ (here, for example, and other places), this episode is not the strongest the series has to offer. It does a good job of setting up Rose's life: how she lives, who the important people in her life are, why running off with the Doctor is so attractive. But as a story by itself, it's not particularly compelling. Mickey, in particular, is shown in a pretty foul light, and the political implications of his cowering and relying on his white girlfriend for protection are rather distasteful (which has been discussed at some length on other Doctor Who discussion lists). Jackie's instant proposition to the Doctor makes a bad first impression as well. (In fact, Jackie comes off pretty badly all the way around, suggesting, at one point, the she looks young enough to be Rose's daughter; talk about a f*cked up and destructive perspective!) My only excuse for this episode (and not a particularly good one) is that many contemporary SF TV series start off slowly. I still can't watch the BattleStar Galactica miniseries that aired before the show became a staple of the SciFi Channel; puts me to sleep every time, which may be why I haven't cottoned to the show the way so many other folks have. (Please don't scold me about how I have to get up to speed on the current series. Renting the DVDs is already part of my plan for the summer.)
The virtue that this episode does have, as![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
markbourne pointed out to me, is that it does what Doctor Who has never done before: it introduces the idea that when a companion goes swanning off with the Doctor, there are repercussions from the decision for other people in her life (especially as it will be illustrated in episode 4, "Aliens of London"). I will also say that it does a nice job of setting up the flirtatious nature of the relationship between Rose and the Doctor. That last moment, when the Doctor invites Rose to come along with him, is just full of attraction and second thoughts and desire, which is part of what makes it so satisfying when he comes back and offers her the last temptation of time travel (oooh, there's a title for a fanfic if I ever saw one: "The Last Temptation of Rose Tyler").
The End of the World: The more I watch "The End of the World," the stronger an episode I think it is. In some ways, it's nothing more than an interpretation of "Ten Little Indians," but in other ways, it has an admirable depth that couldn't have been achieved without having seen "Rose" first. It achieves so many important things for the beginning of the series. It demonstrates to Rose that she really is entering a universe she never imagined. It shows her really thinking twice about her decision to just take off with a stranger based on little more than attraction and a vague idea about time travel. It shows the repercussions of leaving behind that which is known and familiar. It shows her just how dangerous traveling with the Doctor can be. It introduces the first mentions of the Time War, Gallifrey's destruction, and the Doctor's bone-deep loneliness and sadness.
For pure squee factor, I love the Doctor's flirtation with Jabe. She's beautiful and, one gets the impression, brave and intelligent. I'm so sorry we won't get to see more of her because she would have been a wonderful recurring character. I also love the fight that Rose and the Doctor have in the private gallery about him telling her who he is, and concludes with the conversation about the cell phone, jiggery-pokery and ballyhoo. For their differences, these people genuinely like each other, enjoy each other. And I just love-love-love Lady Cassandra, that bitchy trampoline. What a brilliant concept she is, and how entertainingly executed!
So, folks: Thoughts, comments? Discuss!
Rose: As has been pointed out elsewhere on LJ (here, for example, and other places), this episode is not the strongest the series has to offer. It does a good job of setting up Rose's life: how she lives, who the important people in her life are, why running off with the Doctor is so attractive. But as a story by itself, it's not particularly compelling. Mickey, in particular, is shown in a pretty foul light, and the political implications of his cowering and relying on his white girlfriend for protection are rather distasteful (which has been discussed at some length on other Doctor Who discussion lists). Jackie's instant proposition to the Doctor makes a bad first impression as well. (In fact, Jackie comes off pretty badly all the way around, suggesting, at one point, the she looks young enough to be Rose's daughter; talk about a f*cked up and destructive perspective!) My only excuse for this episode (and not a particularly good one) is that many contemporary SF TV series start off slowly. I still can't watch the BattleStar Galactica miniseries that aired before the show became a staple of the SciFi Channel; puts me to sleep every time, which may be why I haven't cottoned to the show the way so many other folks have. (Please don't scold me about how I have to get up to speed on the current series. Renting the DVDs is already part of my plan for the summer.)
The virtue that this episode does have, as
markbourne pointed out to me, is that it does what Doctor Who has never done before: it introduces the idea that when a companion goes swanning off with the Doctor, there are repercussions from the decision for other people in her life (especially as it will be illustrated in episode 4, "Aliens of London"). I will also say that it does a nice job of setting up the flirtatious nature of the relationship between Rose and the Doctor. That last moment, when the Doctor invites Rose to come along with him, is just full of attraction and second thoughts and desire, which is part of what makes it so satisfying when he comes back and offers her the last temptation of time travel (oooh, there's a title for a fanfic if I ever saw one: "The Last Temptation of Rose Tyler").The End of the World: The more I watch "The End of the World," the stronger an episode I think it is. In some ways, it's nothing more than an interpretation of "Ten Little Indians," but in other ways, it has an admirable depth that couldn't have been achieved without having seen "Rose" first. It achieves so many important things for the beginning of the series. It demonstrates to Rose that she really is entering a universe she never imagined. It shows her really thinking twice about her decision to just take off with a stranger based on little more than attraction and a vague idea about time travel. It shows the repercussions of leaving behind that which is known and familiar. It shows her just how dangerous traveling with the Doctor can be. It introduces the first mentions of the Time War, Gallifrey's destruction, and the Doctor's bone-deep loneliness and sadness.
For pure squee factor, I love the Doctor's flirtation with Jabe. She's beautiful and, one gets the impression, brave and intelligent. I'm so sorry we won't get to see more of her because she would have been a wonderful recurring character. I also love the fight that Rose and the Doctor have in the private gallery about him telling her who he is, and concludes with the conversation about the cell phone, jiggery-pokery and ballyhoo. For their differences, these people genuinely like each other, enjoy each other. And I just love-love-love Lady Cassandra, that bitchy trampoline. What a brilliant concept she is, and how entertainingly executed!
So, folks: Thoughts, comments? Discuss!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: Sun, Mar. 19th, 2006 05:02 pm (UTC)I absolutely adore the relationship between Rose and the Doctor. So perfect. The second episode especially with the cell phone scene and then that melancholy bit at the end where he told her about his dead planet. Aw man. Loved it, loved it. (And I hope there's lots more where that came from!)
We were shouting "Bitch!" at the screen at Cassandra, and were quite pleased she got her comeuppance (and Rose rocked when she told her off). Also very sad for Jabe who was a lovely character.... but then -- this is far in the future, so can't they both still make appearances??
Anyway, can't wait for more!
no subject
Date: Sun, Mar. 19th, 2006 06:50 pm (UTC)Would love to see Jabe again, or else the same actress playing Jabe's offspring cutting.
no subject
Date: Sun, Mar. 19th, 2006 07:07 pm (UTC)Ooh! That hadn't occurred to me. I'd love to see that. Here's hoping.
no subject
Date: Sun, Mar. 19th, 2006 07:39 pm (UTC)Given the that Doctor is a Time Lord, they could just meet Cassandra before she goes *pop*. Same thing can be said of Jabe; after all, the Doctor looks different now, it's not like she'd remember him from seeing him earlier when they meet later (though of course Rose would be a problem)
(Cassandra's so self-absorbed that it wouldn't be a problem)
Bitchy trampoline
Date: Sun, Mar. 19th, 2006 07:10 pm (UTC)As for the relationship between Rose and the Doctor, yes, it's wonderful, and it only gets better. I'm a total 'shipper when it comes to Doctor Who right now.
no subject
Date: Sun, Mar. 19th, 2006 05:45 pm (UTC)Like Dr. Who and Stargate LOADS better -- but no one can fault BSG for their acting -- there's some stellar, if a bit more gritty than I tend to like my sf serials, work :>.
no subject
Date: Sun, Mar. 19th, 2006 07:11 pm (UTC)Excellent! Looking forward to your commentary.
Whovian Sqeeige
Date: Sun, Mar. 19th, 2006 08:06 pm (UTC)Is "Rose" weak? Oh, yeah. I think it was also possibly a budget-conscious pilot made to show they could pull this off. And go back and watch the first episodes of Buffy and Star Trek:TNG - not all that great either.
RE: Mickey's cowering. If he had been white, everyone would have said it was great that Rose is established as a strong-willed take-charge character. Shouldn't they get praise for showing a matter-of-fact interracial relationship? Have we gotten to the point where you have to show a character as brave because he's black? Isn't that just the same thing as showing him as cowardly because he's black? I mean, the poor bloke just got eaten by a rubbish bin, cut him some slack!!
But the Sci-Fi network deserves some praise for offsetting the blandness of "Rose" with the gee-whiz and jiggery-pokery of "The End of the World", probably realizing that it needed a little more for a premiere. (I see next week Dr Who goes back to being the filling in a Stargate sandwich; hopefully the 2 two-parters will be shown back-to-back). This episode is much more confident both in terms of characters and SFX, and is more typical of the series as a whole (in case you were wondering).
Re: Whovian Sqeeige
Date: Mon, Mar. 20th, 2006 01:09 am (UTC)Absolutely. Credit where credit it due and all that.
no subject
Date: Sun, Mar. 19th, 2006 08:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Mon, Mar. 20th, 2006 01:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Sun, Mar. 19th, 2006 08:39 pm (UTC)Just had to make a post to commemorate losing my Dr Who Innocence. ;-)
Fun ride. I'll watch more.
no subject
Date: Mon, Mar. 20th, 2006 02:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Sun, Mar. 19th, 2006 09:43 pm (UTC)I wasn't particularly bothered by Jackie (Rose's mom). I suspect in an American show, I would have found her behavior disturbing, but my brain just absorbed the accent and the situation and a little light went on in my head that said , and I was okay with it. Jackie is a little dotty, a little lonely, and not really all that *^@#ed up.
I also don't mind how badly Mickey comes off. For heaven's sakes, he's loving and protective, adores Rose, and then gets eaten by a plastic garbage can and hauled before a pit of sentient hostile goo. Not your average day. That Rose is capable of rolling with the situation is a testament to Rose's ability to absorb new situations, not a condemnation of Mickey's ability as a normal, everyday human to freak the hell out. It's a contrast, and shows why Rose, at the end, finds the Doctor's adventures so appealing. Mickey, in some respects, is a tragic figure, well out of his depth, and at the end of it, he loses the woman he loves as well.
Don't get me wrong: I adore Tom Baker and Sylvester McCoy. I'm very fond of Sophie Aldred (Ace). But Christopher Eccleston was a very good Doctor indeed (a shame he felt he had to leave), and Billie Piper is, bar none, the best Companion to date, with great delivery, and subtlety of expression. This is, IMHO, the best stretch so far in the vast saga of The Doctor, and I don't say that lightly.
I'm looking forward to David Tennant, and seeing what he can do.
However, there is one thing I'm a bit disturbed by: I have a crush on a tree.
no subject
Date: Mon, Mar. 20th, 2006 01:04 am (UTC)Certainly not. Point made. ::grin::
I have a crush on a tree.
Poor dear. Off to the rainforest with you!
Now, wait, was this yuour first exposure to the show or did you see the CBC run (or perhaps Bittorent it)?
no subject
Date: Mon, Mar. 20th, 2006 02:43 am (UTC)Off to the rainforest with you!
Hellloooo. Splinters.
. . . was this your first exposure . . . ?
I'd seen a number of them on the first CBC run. Wanted to see the first two episodes again before I formed a firm opinion.
no subject
Date: Mon, Mar. 20th, 2006 05:39 am (UTC)Personally, I liked the doctor from the moment he opened the door and introduced himself after dragging Rose all over the building. The plastic baddies weren't impressive, but neither were the spider-bots in the second ep.
The strongest moment in all these episodes have been the little character moments, and I thought "Rose" had more of them. The "Yeah, sort of" conversation was also wonderful. I rewound the tape and played that bit twice.
Didn't anyone else see him flip through that novel, say "Sad ending" and really, really wish for that superpower?
no subject
Date: Mon, Mar. 20th, 2006 02:29 pm (UTC)Wait, which conversation was that?
Didn't anyone else see him flip through that novel, say "Sad ending" and really, really wish for that superpower?
Oh, totally! ::chuckle::
no subject
Date: Mon, Mar. 20th, 2006 02:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Mon, Mar. 20th, 2006 02:30 pm (UTC)That and the zoom in from orbit onto the alarm clock. The first 15 minutes is a great example of visual story telling. The episode is pretty strong until the boy friend gets turned into plastic-man. From then on, everything gets silly.
no subject
Date: Mon, Mar. 20th, 2006 03:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Mon, Mar. 20th, 2006 06:21 am (UTC)Have to agree with
I also note that I like Eccleston even more this time than I did the first go 'round on CBC. I liked him well enough -- but he really does grow on you. Mind you, he's not John Pertwee... (heh heh)
Tradtion says most folks like the doctor they saw first best -- so given that, Eccleston is in pretty good company with the Dr's I like right after Pertwee :>.
I really like the interactions between Rose and the Dr. I love how he lightly banters/spars with her -- and how she responds in kind. It's all very well put together.
I'm getting very excited about Season 2 (or is it 28?) with Tenant -- hope he stays for a good long time as well!
no subject
Date: Mon, Mar. 20th, 2006 02:32 pm (UTC)I didn't know that! Okay. That makes sense now.
I'm getting very excited about Season 2 (or is it 28?) with Tenant -- hope he stays for a good long time as well!
They're calling this "Series Two" in the British fashion. With regard to Tenant, I hear he's signed up for two series, so we should have him for a while yet. (Yay!)